MANILA, Philippines – A global study commissioned by AVG Technologies revealed that 54% of children felt their parents spent too much time on their phone.
Parents agreed, with 52% saying it was too frequent and worrying about what it looked like to the younger generation, according to the study on the relationship between a parent, a child, and their devices.
Children had to compete with devices for their parents’ attention. The study said 32% of children felt unimportant when phones distracted their parents, citing situations such as having dinner, watching television, playing outside, and even engaging in conversation.
Parents acknowledged this. Twenty-eight percent said they did not set a good example for their kids.
“I do feel like the balance between the degree to which I use my mobile device to stay connected to work and my ability to be more present, available to my family, is quite out of balance,” a responder said.
Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist at AVG Technologies, said, “One of the key core communication skills that we need is being able to talk to each other, that face-to-face time, and having that skill of holding a conversation.”
“With our kids picking up mobile devices at an increasingly younger age, it is really important that we set good habits within the home, early on,” he added.
A quarter of the parents surveyed want their child to use devices less, but with such statistics, Anscombe said they should lead by example.
The survey was conducted in June 2015 among more than 6,000 respondents from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the US. – Rappler.com
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